Raidho, VAC, Nordost, Audience, Sound by Singer

The first room I visited at the NY Audio Show was one of the best-sounding. The third of three rooms displaying brands sold by Manhattan retailer Sound by Singerclick here and here for our reports on the other twoit featured the world premier of Danish Manufacturer Raidho's D2 loudspeaker ($43,500/pair in black, $48,000/pair in gold walnut). The D2 combines the ribbon tweeter used in Raidho's well-regarded D1 minimonitor with two 4.5" woofers that use a diamond-coated cones.

Driven by a Soulution 5400 SACD player, a VAC Signature Mk.2 tube preamplifier and 450S tube power amplifier, with Nordost Tyr Mk.2 cables and two Audience Adept AR6 power conditioners, this pair of tower speakers threw a huge soundstage on Jennifer Warnes' "Joan of Arc," with exceptionally smooth and grainfree vocal reproduction. Yes, the low frequencies lacked a little definition, but as with so many of the rooms at the Palace Hotel, that was most likely an acoustical issue rather than the character of the speakers.